Poll

Opinion

Those of us in the Class of ‘63 are celebrating a significant birthday this year, the one that ends in 5. We represent the last whimper of the war babies, conceived with rationed gas and sugar stamps or on a desperate furlough when it seemed the war would never end.

Next year the first line of Baby Boomers descend on Medicare, and the whole world will pause to pontificate. The cover of Time magazine will announce the beginning of a new era, “60 Minutes” will reflect, and the Internet will explode with stories from the sublime to the ridiculous.

This past weekend was perfect as far as the weather goes. Who could not get used to days like that? But what makes something perfect? Sometimes perfection can be arbitrary. What might be perfect to me might not be perfect to you.

Last Tuesday night in the Alamo Dome in San Antonio a basketball team did something that was perfectly perfect, again.

There are certain dates that are ingrained in your memories. These certain dates will always remind you of something. Whether it’s a birthday, anniversary or the day of a historically important date, there are just certain dates on the calendar that stand out.

April 15th is one of those days.

Tax Day.

Paying taxes feels like walking up to Count Dracula, offering up your neck and saying, “Try to take it easy this time, pal.”

Former U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives Tip O’Neill was the kind of Democrat that gives Democrats a good name.

He was strong-willed, a bit gruff and totally committed to the people who sent him to office year after year.

Although he was in charge of the House during the Reagan administration and often served as counterbalance to his conservative president’s agenda, there is one sentence, one singular idea, that will probably long outlive O’Neill’s legislative record.

I hope by now most of you have received your 2010 Census form and have taken the opprotunity to complete the form and put it in the mail. April 1 has been officially declared Census Day in the United States. On that day you can come to the courthouse to the Judge-executive office to complete your form (between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.) or the Owen County Library (between 9 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.) for assistance.

Every year about this time, I come down with a case of March Madness. You see, I absolutely love the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team. If my Wildcats get knocked out of the running early for the championship, the salt goes out of living. If they do well in tournament play, euphoria lifts my flat feet until I fancy I could dance on rooftops.

As we enter the closing weeks of the 2010 Regular Session, the Senate passed legislation that will improve job opportunities for career and technical students, regulate methadone treatment centers, and crack down on meth traffickers. We also continued our work on the state budget, and I continued my work on more transparency in campaign finance reporting.

The Senate passed House Bill 288, another piece of campaign finance reform legislation that I was able to improve through my role as chairman of the Senate State and Local Government Committee.

On Saturday, the Owenton Manor Rehab and Nursing will be hosting an annual community Easter bash. We hope to have several thousand eggs to hide and lots of prizes. We would like to invite you to take part in the event. We are in need of candy and items to put into the eggs. If you or your business would like to be a part of this event, please contact Teresa Perry at Owenton Manor. We will be announcing all sponsors throughout the day and they will be listed on the calendar of events.

Recently my mother got an invitation from Lincoln Institute to attend her high school reunion. It was the secondary school in Shelbyville area where black people sent their children “back in the day” because there was no high school available to them in the county.

March 21 through 27, 2010, marks the 12th anniversary of Commonwealth Cleanup Week. Commonwealth Cleanup Week is an annual week-long event implemented by the Energy and Environment Cabinet (EEC), and it also kicks off the Great American Cleanup, spanning from March-May. Its purpose is to provide Kentucky communities an opportunity to “spring clean,” recycle and promote personal responsibility across the Commonwealth.

This week, an old friend who lives on the other side of the continent dropped back into my life. We were classmates and sorority sisters during our college days at Transylvania, but we haven’t seen each other in over 40 years.

Reunions are as sweet as ripe fall pears when you’ve reached our stage of life. We’ve talked non-stop about the old days, the new days, and many of the ones in between.

But we haven’t talked about the elegant, wide brimmed felt hat I wore to the Freshman Tea. Because I can’t, even now, do so without blushing.

The U.S. Constitution requires a national census once every 10 years to count everyone residing in the United States. It is important to count all residents - both citizens and non-citizens.

The purpose of the census is multi-faceted, but key to the census collection is that it helps define who we are as a nation; it affects our political representation; and most important to the school system is that it directs the allocation of billions of dollars in governmental funding.

In the coming days and weeks, the pages of the News-Herald will be filled with election stories, campaign advertisements and letters from you, voicing your concerns on the upcoming May primary election.

There is no doubt that election time is an exciting time for everyone involved, even the average citizen.

Children learn by watching and listening to adults. They also take notice of store marquees, especially in our rural town of Owenton. While my husband and I were traveling to church this past Sunday morning, I was appalled when I read what the marquee at Dairy Queen said “Gallatin Sucks.”

Well, without thought, that immediately told me that Owen County had lost to Gallatin County at Saturday night’s ball game.

The beautiful Elk Creek Vineyard and Winery was the setting for the “2010 Leadership Owen County Opening Retreat.” The date was Feb. 5 and 6. The weather was not a deterrent for the future leaders of Owen County. The day started off with a “meet and greet.” Angie Woodward from the Leadership Kentucky had a fun activity to get everyone energized.

I believe Black History Month is a great way to pay tribute and honor a lot of deserving people – the men and women who gave so much to make the world we live in today a better place to live.

The civilization, freedom, education and all the good things most people enjoy today come with a high price. The price was blood, sweat and tears; mistreatment; prejudice; segregation; and wars fought at home and abroad.